Join us for our 5th International Women's Day High Tea Social
Our virtual High Tea Social is an annual keystone event, celebrating International Women's Day with alumni and friends from around the world. Grab your favourite late morning drink, a comfy chair and join our panel of UWaterloo alumni who want to share and discuss the importance of gender equity.
The International Women’s Day 2025 theme, Accelerate Action, is all about picking up the pace on gender equality. It’s a call to step up, break down barriers, and take bold steps to create real change. Whether it’s in workplaces, schools, or communities, it’s about coming together to make sure women and girls everywhere can thrive and reach their full potential.
This event will be held earlier this year, Friday, March 7, 2025, at 11:30 a.m. ET over Zoom.
Join the conversation! Share YOUR story on IG and LI using #uwaterloosci and #AccelerateAction
Our Host: Dr. Kelly Grindrod
Associate Director, Clinical Education and Associate Professor
School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo
Dr. Kelly Grindrod is a pharmacist and pharmacy professor at the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy. Dr. Grindrod completed her BScPharm at the University of Alberta, her Masters and Doctoral degrees in pharmacy at the University of British Columbia, and a hospital pharmacy residency at the the London Health Sciences Centre. Her work focuses on using technology to educate healthcare providers and the public on the use of medicines, including drugs and vaccines.
Our Panelists:
Dr. Rina Carlini, PhD '98 (chemistry)
CEO & Founder, Healthyher.Life
President & CEO/Founder, Optimal Innovation Group
Dr. Rina Carlini is an accomplished technology business leader with over 25 years experience in life sciences, digital health, nanotechnology and cleantech sectors. After her 15-year career as a corporate innovation leader at Xerox, Rina launched Optimal Innovation Group in 2012, a boutique Canadian technology innovation consulting firm. She recently launched the Healthyher.Life hub in 2023 as Canada’s first women’s hormonal health care platform following an impressive track record of leadership roles as CEO of Haltech Innovation Centre, President of Cloud DX, and VP Innovation at Rapid Dose Therapeutics. Her professional training includes a Ph.D. from University of Waterloo, where she was awarded the 1998 Gold Medal and the 60th Anniversary Science Alumni of Honour Award in 2017, as well as management certificates in Business Model Innovation (Harvard) and AI for Business Strategy (MIT). She served on several advisory boards including Concordia University’s School of Engineering, Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, and Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee.
Carmela De Luca, BSc '94 (biochemistry)
Principal Lawyer, Smart & Biggar LP
Emeritus Founding Co-Chair & Treasurer, "Women in Bio" Montreal Chapter
Carmela is a lawyer and registered patent agent in Canada and the US, practicing in all areas of intellectual property, focusing on patent matters, particularly for life science companies. Prior to practicing law, she obtained her PhD from McGill University and worked as a post-doctoral fellow at a research institute of an international biotechnology company. Carmela is the founding and Emeritus Co-chair and current steering committee member of the Greater Montréal Chapter of Women in Bio (WIB). She is also a committee member of the Excellence in Canadian Board Governance committee, which aims to increase diversity in Life Science Boards, and previously chaired the Young Women in Bio Committee which seeks to encourage high school students to consider careers in STEM. She is actively involved in supporting entrepreneurs and regularly lectures on the fundamentals of Intellectual Property. Additionally, Carmela is a member of the Advisory Board of the Clinical Innovation Platform (CLIP) of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre ( 2021-2023 and 2024-2026 terms).
Christine Hou, BSc '06 (science and business)
Chief of Staff and Head of Strategy- Emerging Markets
Flora Food Groups
Christine is a dedicated advocate for gender equality and a seasoned leader with extensive international experience spanning Canada, the UK, and the Middle East. Over her 19-year career, she has collaborated with C-Suite executives, senior leaders, and multidisciplinary teams within global multinationals across Financial Services and FMCG sectors advising on and implementing strategic and transformational change initiatives. Passionate about driving progress and empowering people, she aims to inspire others to take meaningful action to ‘accelerate action’. Currently, she is the Emerging Markets Chief of Staff for a major multinational, overseeing operations in 50+ countries across four continents. Christine resides in Dubai with her husband Amit.
Krysta Traianovski, BSc '15 (chemistry), MBET '16
Associate Director of Founder Development, Velocity
University of Waterloo
Krysta (she/her) is the Associate Director of Founder Development at Velocity, the University of Waterloo's flagship incubator. Her work focuses on entrepreneurial skills development for students in any program of study, and creating a campus-wide culture that celebrates all forms of entrepreneurship. Previously, Krysta managed the Velocity Science lab for students developing deep tech innovations on campus. Prior to working at Velocity, Krysta was the founder of health tech startup BrightGuide which supported persons living with dementia and their family caregivers. She loves to talk about the role of entrepreneurship skills in the future of work, changing the perception of inclusive entrepreneurship and supporting women's economic empowerment. Krysta holds an Honours BSc in Chemistry and a Master’s degree in Business, Entrepreneurship, and Technology (MBET) both from the University of Waterloo.